


Vices and Virtues

by drellatheblackrose



Series: Vices and Virtues 'Verse [1]
Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Estranged Siblings, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, I played too much Ace Attorney before I got this idea, Interpol - Freeform, Law Enforcement, Lawyers, Minor Character Death, Multi, Murder, Past Character Death, Slow Build, The Rin/Len is not incest, or maybe it's major i'm not sure please tell me what warnings i should give this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 21:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4537242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drellatheblackrose/pseuds/drellatheblackrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rin is accused of murder, she chooses infamously corrupted defense attorney, Mikuo Hatsune, to represent her. Cue the entrance of her older, famous prosecutor of a sister, Neru Akita, who joins forces with Mikuo in order to acquit Rin and protect her from Mikuo's corruption. But the case is more mysterious than anticipated, and Neru will have to save more than just Rin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> When I first wrote this, it was inspired by an old OTP prompt that I can't seem to find anywhere anymore. It has also become clear to me that I was playing way too much Ace Attorney. Woops.
> 
> In any case, the warnings for this fic are, as would be expected from a fic about lawyers solving a murder case: murder (well, duh), most likely some depictions of violence (but nothing too graphic, I'm not into gore), discussions of weapons (i.e. guns and such), etc...   
> If any of that makes you uncomfortable or squeamish, please turn away.  
> Rin and Len are not related in this story - I'm not an incest person, thanks. 
> 
> Also a warning for a lack of research on my part (I'm sorry), most of my knowledge of this stuff comes from Ace Attorney.

_P_ _rologue_

* * *

_Detention Center_

* * *

Neru rushed through the door. She couldn't believe it. No! She  _wouldn't_ believe it!

Her sister couldn't – wouldn't – do something so horrible! Her sister was her sister and she knew her too well… Why would she kill someone? Either she didn't do it or there must have been a feasible explanation. Perhaps it was only self-defense?

Whatever it was, she knew that her sister must have been innocent and that the motive would be stupid. She must have been framed. Yes, Neru nodded to herself, that was the most logical thing she could think of.

After calming herself down and asking the guard if she could see her sister, she thought about how to find her sister the perfect attorney. She would accept nothing less than the best for Rin, and therefore a lot of thought must be put into this. Once the doors opened, she ran to see her.

"Rin! What the hell happened?"

"Hi, Neru," Rin said, looking bleak, "Nothing… Not really, anyway. They think I killed someone, is all."

Neru let out a whimpering noise, "Well,  _who_?"

"…Seeu. They think I killed Seeu."

"Why would they ever think that?! You'd never –"

"I don't know. But they think I did, and that's that."

Neru quirked and eyebrow at her sister. Something had really changed in her demeanor. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were down on the ground. She seemed angry and her words were curt and cold. Neru was not used to her sister behaving this way. It was almost ridiculous, but understandable. She decided not to push the issue.

"Have you talked to Len yet?"

"He called a little bit ago, and wanted to visit right away to figure out what was going on, but I told him not to worry since he was really caught up in work. He'll be dropping by later."

"Well, that's good," Neru clicked her tongue in hesitation, "Now, the real issue…" she gulped, "Have you thought about an attorney at all yet? Have you talked to some, at least?"

"One came by just before. He gave me a card or two."

"What was his name?"

Rin frowned, arms crossed over her chest, "Mikuo Hatsune."

Neru's breathing was suddenly labored. Her eyes were burning and she was pretty sure steam was coming out of her ears.  _No!_ There was  _no way_ that Rin would have that man as her attorney.

" _No way_! You're not going to –"

"Nobody else wants to take my case, Neru. He's the only one that's volunteered and I'd much rather someone who's volunteered then someone who doesn't want my case."

"Why don't I find you one? I could find you a better one than Mikuo!"

"Neru, you've practically beaten every attorney in the state. Aside from my case being considered completely hopeless, I'm your sister. No one wants to help, and I doubt you could find one who would accept, being you and all."

Neru bit her lip. Rin had an excellent point. She sighed, and put her face in her hands. This was a whole lot to take in, and that was when she noticed how frightened Rin was beginning to seem. That seemed a little more appropriate behavior than her strange anger.

"Alright… But if he gives you  _any_ trouble, I will make him pay! You know how he is, Rin, and I don't want you to wind up in more trouble based on some stupid corrupted man…"

Rin shook her head, "It'll be alright, Neru. I don't think anyone will stand a chance. Not even you could…"

As much as Neru hated to admit it, yes, she did not stand a chance against the man. He was the only one she couldn't beat. Most knew Mikuo as a great defense attorney… but Neru knew him as a slimy, corrupted one who acquitted anybody for hefty sums of money and personal favors. Most of the time, they were either sexual or silencing someone that needed to be.

She should know. She was one of those few prosecutors who stood their ground in court, and the only one to last more than a day with him. And because of that, she was almost silenced.

* * *

_He had her pressed against the wall. His hands were placed beside her head on both sides and she knew where this was going all too well._

" _Hey, Ms. Akita, why don't you just back down?" he whispered, salty words and salty breath on her neck._

_His knife was pressing against her cheek ever so slightly, and she could feel it starting to dig into her skin. It was starting to hurt, just a little bit, and then he started moving it down her body._

" _Why don't you get off of me?"_

" _You know I'd never let someone as pretty as you get away from me. After all, I made a promise to get rid of you, or at least destroy you. It's in the contract, babe."_

_Neru glared. It was icy and cold and very, very terrifying. The man chuckled, obviously not afraid, and Neru took that as an opening. She pushed him off of her and ran back into the lobby, desperately trying to get away._

_Then she bumped into_ him _._

_She pushed him out of the doors, a very irate look on her face. The teal-haired man simply chuckled at her._

" _I thought he was supposed to be doing his job."_

 _Neru was suddenly too agitated to be okay with that kind of talk. "Oh, I think he was certainly trying to! You're_ not  _going to silence me by frightening me, if that's what you think! And I'm not going to take your money or anything! You're horrible! And I'm going to expose you for all that you're worth, you corrupted piece of trash!"_

_Mikuo's laugh was less than pleasant. His finger worked its way under her chin and tilted her head towards him._

" _Such a shame you forgot to mention the other way I could silence you…"_

_Ew. No, she wouldn't be his fuck-buddy, either. She didn't respond._

_His finger stayed in its spot, "Oh, Neru, you're so silly, you know that? You're not going to win today. Just give up."_

_She was ready to kick him when he pulled on her golden pony-tail and patted her head._

" _Save that attitude for court. You're_ really  _going to need something to help you get along in there."_

 _The criminal that had cornered her had followed her home for days after that, even after she had lost the case. Eventually, she called the cops and he stopped showing up. However, while Mikuo had left with money and probably something_  "beneficial" _from his newly acquitted female friend, Neru had left with emotional scars and nightmares. Some people were just too awful and Neru could barely believe it._

* * *

Anyway, after he had the money, he would buy the silence or votes of the jury, and sometimes he would buy judges, too. He owned places, things and even people as powerful as politicians.

He was despicable and she didn't want her little sister to be in the hands of someone like him.

"You know, Rin, I don't particularly like to think about that. I'm going to solve your case on my own. The only thing he does well is fuck things up, and solving cases isn't a part of that."

Rin nodded, "Well I hope you solve it before my court date. The less we have to deal with him, the better."

"When is it?"

"A few weeks, I think."

Neru's face contorted in something akin to disapproval. That would never be enough time to solve a whole case.

"I'll see what I can do. Make sure Len knows everything and if you need anything else, let me know. I'll be back later to ask you about what happened, okay?"

"Okay."

Neru wasn't going to let her sister deal with Mikuo any longer then she had to.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neru confronts Mikuo, while a mysterious prosecutor is assigned a new case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I just realize that Neru is very Lightning Farron-y in this chapter, in regards to Rin.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: mentions of wounds (lethal and non lethal), and a little mention of blood.

_Chapter 1_

* * *

_Hatsune Law Offices_

* * *

" _Hatsune_!"

Neru was honestly starting to get a little concerned by how many doors she had almost broken within the past week.

Whatever.

That could wait till later.

"Oh, dear, look who it is," he started, his voice cold, a small chuckle leaving his lips, "I do believe it's been a while, Ms. Akita."

"I'm not here for small talk."

"Yes, well, you aren't here out of respect either, judging by the way you treated my door."

"Why in God's name would I be here out of – you know, what. Never mind. I'm here for my sister, and that's all I'm interested in."

"Such a shame, beautiful. I could make you an offer you might not want to refuse."

Neru scoffed, "I'm  _repulsed_  by you. What makes you think I'd want to touch you?"

"…So. Your sister."

"Yes, my sister," Neru replied, "I'm here because I'm going to help you solve her case – or rather, I'm going to help you win."

Mikuo's teal eyes bore into her, "So it seems. I do hope you're not going to try and prosecute this case. You know as well as I do that that would be awfully… suspicious."

Neru rolled her eyes, and let out a mumbled, "You're one to talk…"

Suddenly, the blonde girl straightened her posture and shook her head, "No. I said I'm going to help you solve her case, and, in turn, I'm going to help you win. But we're going to do it the  _right_ way."

Mikuo smirked, and held out his hand toward a more suitable area for their conversation, "Now you've got me interested, Ms. Akita. Shall we?"

Neru's eyes narrowed, but she nodded and sat down. Mikuo sat down across from her, and she wanted to hit him. He seemed so laid back about the whole thing, despite the fact that the case had been called an open and shut one. Plus, they didn't know who would be prosecuting. The look on his face seemed to mock the nights she had stayed up worrying about everything.

"Your worries are pretentious, Ms. Akita. And I  _don't_  worry."

"Perhaps you don't, but  _someone_ has to."

"Yes, well… Perhaps someone does have to. But does it really have to be one of us?" Mikuo had asked, keeping that mocking look on his face.

"Unfortunately, I must worry. Rin  _is_ my sister, after all. But that's beside the point… The case details, if you'd please."

* * *

_Prosecutor's Building - Master's Office_

* * *

"Are you certain, sir?"

"Yes. Assign me to this case. I have some unfinished business with the parties involved."

"…You know the court frowns upon that kind of thing, Master."

"Does it matter?" Master snapped, "I just want to be on the case. They were going to assign it to me, anyway."

"…Alright then."

Master put his hand through his brown locks, and suddenly sat down, "Long ago, a dove flew past me. They told me to shoot, but I didn't."

"…And what does that have to do with the case? With me?"

"With you, absolutely nothing," Master replied, coldly, "But with the case, it has to do with at least a quarter of it. But it is my entire reason for being a prosecutor."

"A dove? Really, sir?"

Master nodded, smiling fondly, "Yes. A dove… She didn't want to die, and I couldn't bring death upon her."

There was no response from his assistant.

"But, it's time to set her free." He said it to no one in particular and continued his trek out of his office.

* * *

_Hatsune Law Offices_

* * *

"So, Seeu Dahee was shot on the fifth floor balcony of the Roseright Hotel at approximately 8:38 at night."

Neru nodded, "Where was she shot?"

"Through the temple at point blank range. Instantaneous," Mikuo replied, his voice suddenly serious.

Though Neru didn't particularly care for the man – okay, she  _despised_ him – it wouldn't do to have something wrong with him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all, Ms. Akita." His smirk was back, and it was then that Neru's eyes narrowed again and she urged him to continue to tell her the details of the case.

"Before she was killed, the killer shot both of her legs from the same distance as the killing blow, but at a lower height. After SeeU was killed, her body fell from three to four feet."

Neru nodded, staring at the file expectantly, "So? What do they have against Rin?"

"Her blood is on the murder weapon."

" _Blood_? Don't you mean fingerprints?"

"It's a tad confusing, darling, so I'd hope you were listening."

Neru remained silent. "So then shouldn't Rin have some kind of wound? And even if it was point blank range, would Seeu have been able to reach her?"

"That's the thing. It doesn't say anything about Seeu or anyone attacking her. It just says her blood is on the weapon."

Neru groaned. "I hate it when they're not specific."

"Get used to it, Ms. Akita. You're in the big leagues now."


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master appears, and Neru and Mikuo make progress (a little) in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is reallllllllllllllly short. Also it shows where my AA fan came in because Master is clearly based off of Godot. Woops.
> 
> No warnings for this chapter.

_Chapter 2_

* * *

_State Courthouse – Court Lobby_

* * *

When Neru entered the lobby that morning, her stomach was doing backflips. She wasn't nervous, per se, for she had been in this courthouse (as well as others) many times… But that was from the prosecutor's bench, and now… well, it would be her first time arguing from the opposite bench.

She strolled in right on time, with Mikuo entering a few minutes behind.

Neru pursed her lips, "I'm surprised you even got here on time."

He only laughed, "I take this a lot more seriously than you might think."

"Right on time" for the two lawyers in the lobby was an hour earlier than they needed to be there. They had agreed to meet up and talk about information one last time, and then when Rin showed up they would discuss the case with her.

"Oh, Ms. Akita, I figured out which one of your colleagues will be joining us for the show."

Neru quirked a brow when he paused, "Well? Who is it?"

"A man named Master. I've never heard of him."

Neru sighed in defeat, "I… haven't met him. The only thing I know about him is that he has quite the reputation… He's a  _good_  prosecutor, is what I mean."

The teal haired lawyer chuckled, "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

Neru shook her head, "Yes, we do. But let's not worry about him. Let's just focus on last minute details."

She took a seat and Mikuo sat down next to her. Neru was very anxious about the whole ordeal – a fact that wasn't very hard to see – and so she had barely gotten any sleep last night. Before a case, though, she never truly did. But this was the first time that plain paranoia and anxiety had kept her up instead of researching and last minute planning.

"I want to make sure we're clear on the whole blood instead of fingerprints thing. It's really strange."

"You don't need to worry about that, Ms. Akita. I'm sure Mr. Master will bring it up. It'll probably be a strong point in his case, as it is the strongest piece of evidence they have."

Neru nodded, "Well, of course. But I want to flush it away. It's that strange."

Mikuo shook his head with a small, sarcastic chuckle, "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it, alright?"

No response.

"How much sleep did you get last night? Did you get any at all?"

Why is he suddenly so concerned for her well-being? "…No. I didn't get any."

A  _tsk_ noise came from him, so she punched him in the arm. Hard.

* * *

_State Courthouse – Courtroom #7_

* * *

Once Rin arrived and they discussed further details with her, they were ushered into the courtroom. Neru put her worries aside and decided to treat it like any other case she had been assigned to.

The Judge stared at Neru. She had met this Judge before, as he had proceeded over most of her cases.

"Ms. Akita? Why are you on  _that_ side of the courtroom?"

The old man's eyes looked at her strangely, as if he couldn't believe it. He probably couldn't, considering Neru had always been stronger on the opposite side.

"She's my assistant for this case, your honor."

Master sneered at them from across the room.

"Oh? And who are you?"

"Apologies, your honor. I am Master, you see, a very famous prosecutor," the man in question spoke without a trace of modesty in his voice.

"Yes, quite… I have heard of you."

"I would hope so. This is my first and last case after all."

The room was silent, but no questions were asked. Master was mysterious and powerful, and gave off a vibe that read 'I won't answer your questions.'

The Judge nodded and said nothing, before closing his eyes in thought. "Very well. Court is now in session for the trial of Rin Akita."

When the old Judge had gotten okays from the two sides when they were ready, the trial had suddenly began. Neru took a deep breath, and stared at her sister. Rin looked rather frightened, in an almost sad, pitiful way, and Neru wouldn't let that expression sit on her little sister's face for long.

…It was time to play big sister, and show Master who was  _really_  in charge.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Court is out of session, and Neru and Mikuo get some headway into their investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, immature Mikuo. Nice.
> 
> warnings for: discussion of the murder weapon, and minor references to wounds.

_Chapter 3_

* * *

_State Courthouse – Court Lobby_

* * *

" _Objection!"_

_But as soon as the word left Master's lips…_

" _Objection! My client was at the hotel for strictly business purposes! There is_ nothing _in that statement than you can object to if you don't have the evidence to back it up! And since you don't, you'd better shut up!"_

Neru shivered remembering the moment that had caused the current recess of the trial. The crowd had been taken so aback by Mikuo's vicarious statement that there was an unpleasant buzzing coming from them. Everything was  _so_ loud and Neru was left utterly speechless. Never in her career had she been to a trial where proceedings halted due to the crowd refusing to die down.

Even when they tried coming back to reconvene a half hour later, the crowd was still too loud and unruly. The Judge was forced to halt the trial's proceedings for the entire day.

So now, here she was, handing Mikuo a cup of coffee as he sat on a bench in the court lobby with his face in his hands.

His body was still unmoving, his breaths coming in short and very still. He didn't even notice her return, despite her heels obnoxiously clicking on the hard tile floor.

She sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder, alerting him.

"Here," she stated, handing the cup of coffee to him again. This time, he actually took it out of the prosecutor's hands.

"Thank you, Ms. Akita."

His voice was so much softer, kinder, and calmer than usual that Neru was honestly taken aback by it. For once, it seemed he… appreciated her gesture.

"I'm sorry I wasn't of much use," Neru started, "I guess I was just a little nervous."

"And I'm sorry for being irrational in most of my statements."

The blonde prosecutor blinked thrice, "Is that what's gotten you so worked up like this?"

"I suppose. Usually things are not so… asinine, for lack of a better word."

Neru laughed, and the teal haired man stared at her. "What's so funny?"

"It's nothing to be worried about. Master was stubborn and annoying – he kept saying the same thing, over and over again without any evidence to back it up. I don't blame you for getting frustrated. And… if you hadn't had an outburst, I would have, and I  _assure_  you it would have been much worse than yours. Knowing me, I'd probably just get held in contempt of court."

Mikuo smiled, and Neru smiled back.

Their first official shared smile. For some reason, Neru could not stop her face from turning a dusty, light pink color.

"Thank you, Neru."

(Don't think Neru changed her feelings or anything! She still didn't trust him!)

* * *

_Crime Scene: Roseright Hotel_

* * *

When they had finished their small coffee break, Mikuo had suggested that they check out the crime scene before speaking to Rin like Neru had originally wanted. ("We'll have nothing new to report to her," he argued, and Neru reluctantly agreed to that.)

The building was very large, being at least ten stories high. It was clearly not a random small town motel judging by the way the outside of the building looked. If the crime scene tape wasn't all over it, Neru would have thought more highly of it.

The inside was even shinier, Neru found, with the floors obviously recently waxed and polished. It was clean and pretty, and nothing looked run down or old at all. It was clearly a high end hotel. Too bad a nasty murder happened in it.

When they entered, a woman with purple hair immediately approached them.

"Oh, hello. I regret to inform you that my hotel is currently closed, so we are not accepting any guests."

"That's okay," Neru started, "We're Rin Akita's lawyers, and we're here to gather more information."

The woman's eyes widened, "Well in that case, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Yukari Yuzuki, and as I already said, I'm the owner of this hotel."

Mikuo nodded, but said nothing. He was oddly silent, Neru noted.

"Would you mind if we investigated a little bit?"

"Oh, I wouldn't mind at all! However, I'm afraid that I might not have the authority for that. You might want to ask the detective."

"Where is the detective, then?" Mikuo asked.

"She's on the fifth floor balcony, where the murder happened. You'll want to take a left to the elevators, and go in through Room 504. It's unlocked."

"Thank you, Ms. Yuzuki," Neru said.

Yukari smiled and nodded, and the two were on their way.

* * *

The detective was a brunette woman, all curves and tough glares. She looked the two lawyers up and down and huffed.

"And you are?"

"Rin Akita's lawyers," Neru answered.

The detective nodded, "I'm Detective Meiko Sakine. Lead detective on this case, but I'm pretty sure you two guessed that."

"Would you mind clearing us?" Mikuo asked, "I'm afraid my darling partner here does not trust the information I tell her."

Neru scoffed, "More like I don't trust you…"

Detective Sakine laughed. "Yeah, go ahead. I don't mind clearing that poor kid's lawyers at all."

Mikuo smiled, "Thank you, Detective Sakine. But would you mind if we asked you some questions?"

Detective Sakine shook her head, "That I'm afraid I can't do. I've got to collect some stuff to bring back to the Forensics," she said, but upon noticing the lawyers' disappointed looks, she smiled, " _But_ , you  _can_ ask my assistant some questions. I'm sure he's around here somewhere…"

The detective suddenly cleared her throat, "Oi! Kaito!" she shouted.

After she shouted, Neru and Mikuo listened to a curious stumbling of footsteps. In ran a blue-haired man who was wearing a peculiar long, blue scarf that matched his hair.

"Yes, Mei-chan?"

"These are Akita's lawyers. They've got a few questions that need answering. Can I leave it to you to answer them?"

Kaito nodded, and then for some odd reason, he saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

Detective Sakine let out a small laugh and gestured the two lawyers over to him.

"Okay! What do you two wanna ask?"

Neru smiled slightly, and Mikuo sighed. "Do you mind if we see the murder weapon? Court wasn't too proactive this morning, so the prosecution didn't really go over basic evidence."

Kaito reached into some bag (probably where they kept their evidence, Neru thought), and pulled out a plastic bag containing a gun. It looked smaller than normal, Neru noted.

"As you can see, it's pretty small. Around .20 caliber, I'd say. There's little to no kickback from it, so it'd be pretty good for a few shots. These types of smaller guns are usually used by people with smaller frames."

Neru sighed. Rin had a pretty small frame. "And the ballistic markings? They match?" she asked.

"Yup," Kaito replied, "The markings match right up with this little thing."

"Can we see the bullets in question?"

Kaito nodded and pulled out various bags each containing a bullet next. There were labels on the bags, showing which one had been in the wound that killed Seeu, with the other two being found in the wounds of her legs.

Mikuo sighed a sigh that sounded heavy with relief. He was probably glad to see something done after an unproductive day at court full of pointless arguing and controversial topics. Now that he had seen the evidence, he figured it was time for some other questions.

"Were there any witnesses?"

The blue-haired man hesitated in thought before nodding. "Yeah. Aside from Rin, and the owner of the hotel, there was the woman who called 911. She lives in the apartment building across the street, and her apartment is right on level with this balcony."

Neru was suddenly ecstatic. "Can we have her name?"

Kaito shook his head. "Sorry. That's something I can't reveal to the defense."

As fast as they had risen up, Neru's hopes died back down. She forgot that being on the defense meant that she couldn't have as much information as she could when she was on the prosecution's side.

Mikuo chuckled in Neru's direction, and she could feel her face heat up.

"In any case, we can ask the owner a few questions, and then we can speak to Rin. We should get to it, Ms. Akita."

Neru nodded and looked to Kaito, "Thank you for answering our questions."

Kaito smiled a lopsided grin in response. The lawyers began to make their way out of the hotel room.

"Oh! Wait!"

Kaito ran up to them. "Mei-chan would kill me if I didn't give you guys this."

Mikuo took the piece of paper out of Kaito's hand. "A copy of the autopsy? Are we really allowed to have this?" he asked, skeptical.

"Yeah! Mei-chan's orders, you know? She really wants to help out that poor Rin kid. Or at least that's how she put it."

"Detective Sakine wants to help Rin?" Neru asked in disbelief.

Kaito nodded, a small smile forming on his face. "Mei-chan might seem tough, but… she can be soft and sweet once you get to know her."

Neru smiled a soft smile at the man's obvious glow of admiration, and the two left the room (for real this time) in search of Ms. Yuzuki, the hotel's owner.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neru and Mikuo talk to some important people in regards to their case.

_Chapter 4_

* * *

_Crime Scene: Roseright Hotel – Hotel Lobby_

* * *

The clicking of heels on the shiny, tile floor alerted Neru to the hotel owner. She was still in the lobby for some reason, probably doing some odd jobs now that regular staff was unable to such jobs.

"Ms. Yuzuki?"

The woman looked up, her purple eyes widening at the two lawyers.

"Oh! You startled me," she began, "But is there something I can do for you?"

Mikuo nodded. "Yes. We were hoping to ask you a few questions."

Ms. Yuzuki looked a tad confused. "Well, I don't see why not… But I believe I will be appearing in court tomorrow…"

Mikuo chuckled, "If the prosecution even getsthat far…" he whispered to Neru, who elbowed him in the side.

"Not a problem, Ms. Yuzuki. Only give as much information as you feel you are authorized to," Neru said with a smile.

The purple haired woman smiled and nodded. "Well, we should start now. I have something to do in about an hour, though you are free to come with me then if you still need to ask more questions."

Mikuo nodded, "Not a problem. We have to get to the detention center before visiting hours are up." With that statement, he gave Neru a look which she decoded to ' _Don't forget, darling.'_ Neru rolled her eyes in response, and eventually looked back to Ms. Yuzuki, who had a knowing smile on her face.

"Shall we start?"

They all entered a small room, with a large desk and various files strewn about. There was a computer on the desk and small picture frames all over the desk. It looked like-

"My office. This should give us enough privacy."

Neru and Mikuo took seats across from the desk, and Ms. Yuzuki took her own seat. She looked expectantly at them, and Mikuo nodded.

"Where were you on the night of the incident?"

"Here in the hotel, out in the lobby."

"And what were you doing?"

"Checking the guestbook to tally up all the guests that had come to stay so far."

Mikuo nodded as Neru scribbled down Ms. Yuzuki's answers.

"What happened that alerted you to the incident?" Neru asked, and suddenly the owner became hesitant.

"I heard… gunshots."

"How many?"

"Three. The first two came right after one another, and then the third one came a few moments later. But at the time, I didn't realize that they were gunshots. Sometimes there is noise from the rooms, and unless a guest comes complaining, I leave it be."

"So it didn't sound unusual to you?" Mikuo asked, pursing his lips.

"No, not at all."

"So how did you realize they were gunshots?" Neru asked, becoming more concentrated on the story instead of writing.

"I didn't. I let it be, and then maybe fifteen to twenty minutes later, the police came barging in saying there had been a murder."

"Did you follow them to the room where the murder happened?"

Ms. Yuzuki nodded, though she seemed… sad, "Naturally. Though when I got there, they were already arresting the defendant. I didn't really understand why until I got to the balcony and realized that the one that had been killed was the woman who was staying with the defendant."

Neru let out a sigh and looked down at the mention of her sister's arrest. How Rin got into such a mess, Neru would never know. But it didn't matter, she thought, because she'd have to help Rin out of it.

At Neru's sad look, Mikuo poked her knee. When she looked up, he was smiling a gentle smile that was supposed to comfort her. Despite herself, Neru smiled back, her eyes darting back up to the hotel's owner, who still looked expectant.

"Now we'd like to ask you about your connection to the victim," Mikuo started, "Did she check in the same night she was killed?"

Ms. Yuzuki nodded slowly, "Yes, she did. She checked in with the defendant."

"How long would they have been staying for?"

"At least a week is what they told me."

"Did they tell you why they were staying?"

She shook her head, "No. If they don't want to tell me, they don't have to. It's the hotel's policy," she explained.

Mikuo nodded, "I think one last question will be all we need, right, Neru?"

Neru nodded, albeit hesitantly. She didn't really see what else they needed to ask, but if there was something else he wanted to ask, she figured she'd let him. It couldn't hurt.

"Was there anything else you noticed about the behavior of the victim and the defendant that night?"

Oh. Yeah, Neru forgot about that one.

Ms. Yuzuki paused, "Do you mean anything strange?"

Mikuo shrugged casually, "Or in general. It doesn't really matter."

With that, the owner hummed in thought before nodding. "Yes, there was."

Neru's eyes widened. Usually that question does not gather  _that_  response!

"The victim was a bit… erratic. She did most of the checking in, answering most of my questions quickly. It was almost as if… she was afraid of something. She was rather on edge during such a simple process, and she even already had a prior reservation."

"Prior reservation?" Neru asked, not understanding what the woman meant.

Unfortunately, Mikuo shook his head, deterring the woman from answering Neru's question. "We'll have to get going, Ms. Akita. Visiting hours will be up in about an hour and a half. If we want to ask Rin some things, we'll need to leave now."

Neru sighed, beginning to put away her notepad that she had been using. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Yuzuki. It's appreciated."

"It wasn't a problem. I suppose we'll all see each other tomorrow?" she asked, and the two lawyers nodded.

"Most likely. Until then," Mikuo said, and before Neru could even realize it, they had all left Ms. Yuzuki's office and were once again in the comforting glow of the lobby. The sun had just begun to set, and the large window in the lobby let in its hearty glow of various colors, leaving a warm shine on the already shiny floors.

The lawyers said their goodbyes, and the owner headed out with them, going off to do whatever she had said she had to do an hour earlier.

Neru hadn't realized how out of it she was until she was sitting in Mikuo's car. He didn't speak up or try to get her attention, either, because she didn't really remember the drive to the detention center; only that it had been rather fast. There was a comfortable, pregnant silence amidst them, and neither really had the heart to break it.

* * *

_Detention Center_

* * *

When they entered the center, someone was already visiting Rin. It was Len, unsurprisingly.

Rin looked displeased with whatever they were talking about, and it was clear from the sour look on her face and her crossed arms.

Mikuo sighed dreamily. "Sheesh, you two really are sisters, you know? Look at how sour she looks."

Neru closed her eyes in anger and punched him in the gut. "Just shut up, will you?" With that said, and the forming smile on her face at Mikuo's groan of pain, Neru approached her sister and Len.

"Rin, come on, it was just government work –"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The air was tense and something seemed… off about how fast Rin's mood changed when Neru approached them, but the latter knew better than to question her sister about her sporadic mood changes or whatever it was she didn't want to talk about. It would be beneficial to back off, lest she risk Rin becoming even angrier.

Whatever it was that had left Rin in such a sour mood could wait until later. For now, she and Mikuo had to ask Rin a few questions that they had not been able to ask her the past few weeks.

"Hi, Neru!" Rin almost chirped.

"Hey," Len said.

"Hi guys," Neru started, Mikuo coming up behind her, "Rin, we're here to ask you some questions."

Rin grimaced a little bit, but she nodded anyway. "Alright, sounds good."

Len got up from his seat and motioned for Neru to sit down, to which she obliged. Mikuo took the seat next to her and Neru let out the breath she had been holding in. Things had been rather tense lately, but being with her sister and Len again was a nice change. Family was a very nice change, actually.

Even though she was a prosecutor, Neru didn't really feel comfortable asking Rin various questions about the murder. Rin was her sister, after all, and she didn't want to upset her. If Mikuo could tell all that from her hesitance, he certainly made it seem so with the way he shook his head and smiled.

"General questions first," Mikuo stated, and Rin nodded in response. "How did you know the victim?"

"SeeU and I were co-workers out our place of employment. We were friends, too."

That came as a shock to Neru. She knew that Rin did office work for some place called  _Honne Corp._ , but she didn't recall Rin ever mentioning SeeU working there. But it didn't really matter now.

"Motive?" Neru asked, though she stuttered through just the one word.

"Something dumb about me being jealous of SeeU or something."

"Jealous?"

"She got this promotion or something that we were apparently 'competing' for," here Rin put air quotation marks on competing.

"Well? Is that true?"

Rin sighed, "Yeah… it's true. I mean, I was a little mad that she got it at first, but it's nothing I would kill someone over."

"So why were you and SeeU at the Roseright Hotel?"

"Business retreat. SeeU had to go somewhere for the new promotion and wanted me to come with her."

"Did she say why?"

"Something about her wanting to clear something up with me? I'm not really sure. If she mentioned it, I really can't remember."

Before Mikuo could open his mouth to ask the next question, the guard next to them interrupted. "Sorry guys, visiting hours are up. You've got to get going, now."

"Alright. We'll talk some more tomorrow morning."

Guards came in from the room Rin was sitting in, too, and Rin groaned. "Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming."

"Thanks for the visit, guys," Rin said, and Neru pursed her lips, waving to her sister.

"See you later, Rin. Love you."

"Love you too, Len."

Mikuo waved to Rin, too, and as the three were ushered out of the detention center, there was another silence. This time, though, it was uncomfortable, and Neru couldn't figure out why.

The uncomfortable silence continued as Neru and Mikuo said their farewells to Len and piled into Mikuo's car once more. The two said nothing and Neru forced herself to look out the window, trying to avoid the lawyer next to her as best she could.

For some odd reason, Neru didn't like it. But there was nothing she could do.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Neru's relationships before court is in session, and an appearance from someone Mikuo wasn't expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll see you next week with another update?  
> Maybe. We'll see.  
> No warnings for this chapter.

_Chapter 5_

* * *

_State Courthouse – Prosecutor's Lobby_

* * *

Miku Hatsune fiddled with her thumbs idly, unsure of why she had suddenly become so nervous. As a girl who dreamed of performing on stage in front of millions of adoring fans, she was usually excited and everything far from nervous around large crowds. But, she reasoned in her head, maybe it had to do with the fact that it was court.

"Please don't be nervous, Ms. Hatsune. We may not even need you today."

She looked up to see the brunette prosecutor smiling softly at her, and in response, she smiled back a forced smile that looked undoubtedly unsure. The man made a face, his lips tightening into a thin line. Something had made him suddenly unhappy, clearly visible in his eyes even with the mask trying to obscure them. In that moment, Miku pondered if it had been her loss of confidence.

Miku opened her mouth, but was unsure what to say in response, choosing to fiddle with her skirt instead of her thumbs.

Instead, Master gave her another soft smile, squeezing her hand gently, "Don't worry, little dove. I'll protect you."

(' _Little dove_ '…? Where had she heard that before?)

And as he turned around to walk away, Miku found herself blushing and staring at her hand, before running in order to catch up with him. (' _Sheesh, what a spazz!_ ' she mentally scolded herself.)

* * *

_State Courthouse – Defense's Lobby_

* * *

Neru decided that today would be the day she stopped taking such a backseat during the proceedings. Usually, Neru was loud and opinionated in debates during trial proceedings, but as she had usually been on the other side of the courtroom, she was still unused to the way things worked on the side of the defense attorney.

...Which was, albeit, very ridiculous. When she really thought about it, she should've had a better idea of what went down, having been involved of plenty of trials. So, maybe it wasn't a lack of knowledge. Perhaps it was nerves.

Wow. Nerves. She hadn't had that problem in a  _long_  time.

"Practicing your nerves of steel, Ms. Akita?" Mikuo asked from behind her, coming up and sitting next to her on the bench.

Neru let out something between a sigh and a groan, saddened that Mikuo, of all people, had figured out her inner turmoil before she, herself, did. But then again, she guessed that's why he was so renowned - he could read witnesses very well... Or, well, really, he was known for the corruption -

Whatever.

"More or less," she said, with a sigh (a real one, this time) leaving her lips, "But I guess I'm still thinking about the case. There are so many holes we need to fill."

Mikuo let out a little chuckle, and she slapped him on the arm. "Be serious and mature about this, please."

The teal haired attorney put up his hands in mock defense, taking them down only to start rubbing at the place on his bicep where Neru had slapped him.

"I am. I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Things will be easier on you if you go in with a clearer conscience. Or whatever it was my mentor always said."

"You can't remember your own mentors sayings?" Neru asked, incredulously. She could never forget what her mentor had taught her, even if she had been long separated from him.

"I'm afraid not. I would like to, but that's just the way it is. I'm not exactly the most  _sentimental_ guy."

Neru rolled her eyes, "You can say that again."

Mikuo nudged her side playfully with his arm, "Tell me about your mentor, if you seem so adamant on remembering them."

The blonde prosecutor frowned, but then checked her watch (and also the clock on her phone - can't hurt to double check things, can it?) in order to be sure they had time. Which they did. At least a half hour before Rin got there, and when Rin got there they had forty five minutes to get their case a little bit more prepared, despite working on it for hours last night.

"Okay, fine," Neru started, "He's actually my sister's fiancé's father. Nice guy, but sadly on the more conservative side. We started off on good terms, he gave me a lot of tips and tricks, especially when I was in college.

"And then things went downhill. He had some opinions that he kept trying to force on me. Not exactly the kind of people I like to associate with. So, I kind of dropped ties with him. His advice and everything still means a lot but -"

"The guy is a douche?" Mikuo asked, in an attempt to finish her sentence.

Despite herself, Neru couldn't help but laugh and smile at that. "Well, I wouldn't exactly be so  _vulgar_ , but I guess for the sake of humoring your early morning brain, we'll go with that."

Before Neru even realized it, Rin was already making her way into the lobby, being escorted by guards. Looking upon the scene had suddenly made Neru sad. She had spent nights thinking about it and hating it - it being the fact that they were treating Rin like she was a  _criminal_. For all of Neru's life, though, Rin had never been that. She was always Neru's happy little sister. The presence of cuffs on Rin's wrists and guards surrounding her easily wiped off the smile she had been sharing with Mikuo.

When the doors closed, and Rin was allowed to talk to Neru and Mikuo, the doors opened again. Curious, the lawyers and their defendant took a peek at who was entering.

Len.

Rin's features instantly brightened at seeing her fiancé, which made Neru smile. It was nice to see Rin could still be happy despite her situation. When Len came over, he and Rin shared a quick, almost business-like peck (a type of kiss Neru never remembered seeing between them - usually they were affectionate, but then again, considering their location, it'd only be natural for them to be on alarm about their PDA).

Neru smiled at the kiss, too. Years ago, it probably would've made her jealous, but that part of her was long gone and had disappeared. She had spent a few years sucking out happiness for jealousy, but Neru had since matured out of the petty girl she used to be.

Len, or so he said, was here to see Rin, and also subsequently, the trial. Rin didn't hide her frown at that, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of Len seeing her in trial. But Neru knew that it was for the best that Len came at all - the hospital always had him swamped, and now that Rin was in trouble, Neru had a feeling that Len really wanted to be there for Rin.

"Len?" Neru asked to alert his presence, "You know that we appreciate you being here for Rin but unfortunately we can't share most of this case with you. At least, not with all these guards around."

Mikuo made a sound of agreement, sensing Neru's anxious attempt to get started on adding the finishing touches to the case.

With a sigh, Len nodded and turned back to the sad looking blonde defendant. "Yeah, I know, I just wanted some time with Rin... since I don't get to see her too much."

Neru blinked, and suddenly things started to dawn on her - their home had probably felt empty without an integral piece living in it. Rolling her golden eyes, she tutted out some kind of noise that she hoped was sympathetic.

"Fine. Five minutes."

Tugging on Mikuo's elbow, the two attorneys walked away to give the couple some privacy. Mikuo seemed to be a tag angry at Neru's sudden act of sympathy.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked, looking at her with flames starting to burn in his pretty, teal eyes. ( _Ugh, get a grip on your life, Neru! You spend a_ little bit  _of time with him and suddenly you're_ complimenting  _his eyes?_ )

"Look, as much as I'd like to do everything we can to save my sister, I want her to be happy - even more than I want to save her."

Mikuo's flaming anger didn't lessen any.

"Look, please, it's only five minutes," Neru pleaded, blinking up at the man. Said man rolled his eyes a few seconds later.

"Fine."

Neru smiled and thanked him. She knew she probably sounded like some kind of silly little girl, but she really just wanted to make sure her younger sister was okay. Some kind of older sibling thing or something like that.

"Thank you. Really, it means a lot to me... And Rin."

Mikuo nodded, and then crossed his arms. It seemed that he was done with whatever one-sided conversation they were having. His angry attitude was bothering Neru, if only a little, so she, in return, made her usual sour look - or, at least, the sour look that usually crossed her face whenever she was around Mikuo.

If that's how he wanted to be, then  _fine_. Two could play at that game.

* * *

It was a little longer than five minutes. But while Neru wasn't exactly bothered by it, Mikuo clearly was.

"Look, you need to  _cool off_ ," Neru whispered loudly to him. She was really started to get annoyed at his attitude, " _Excuse me_  for wanting to let my little sister have a little time with her own fiancé."

Mikuo gritted his teeth, "You said  _five minutes_. Five minutes has been up."

Neru scowled, "It's only been about seven. I'm  _serious_ , Mikuo. Your attitude is  _really_  starting to get on my nerves right now and if you don't  _quit it_ right  _now_ I swear I'll talk to Rin by myself and do the trial by myself."

Mikuo gripped her wrist, "You can't exactly do that,  _sweetheart_ ," he exhaled, venom seeping into the endearment, "You don't have an attorney's badge. You need me to even be able to get behind that bench."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, and then pulling her arm out of Mikuo's grip, she glared right into his eyes. "You're being immature. Go get coffee or something, and I'll talk to Rin. Until you've calmed down enough for me to actually be around you, you'll just be wasting time with your passive aggressiveness."

With that last statement, Neru shoved Mikuo out of the way and into the hall. She wasn't amused and she wasn't about to let him be all pouty and annoying when they had work to do. If he didn't take his own advice regarding that 'clean conscience' then he wouldn't be useful. Too much anger never mixed well with court. And considering Mikuo's last encounter with Master, which had ended with a very infuriated and aggressive Mikuo ( _and an offended Master_ , Neru thought bemusedly), if he was angry, it would  _especially_ be bad for him to be around Master. Which they clearly couldn't avoid considering their position right now.

Watching the man walk away to get coffee, clearly muttering something under his breath, Neru turned to her sister and future brother-in-law to find them staring at Neru with semi shocked expressions on their faces.

"Damn, Neru," Len said, clearly impressed, "I didn't knew you had it in you to boss  _him_  around."

Rin laughed, but Neru shook her head. "He'll be no use to anyone if he stays that frustrated, believe me. And I'm not in the state to deal with it at the moment."

If it had been years ago, Neru would have preened at Len's comment, but Neru shook her head again. She didn't need to be thinking of old Neru right now. Right now, what she needed to do was finalize some details about the case and get some information about Rin.

"But he's not important right now. What's important is finalizing this case, and talking to Rin about some things."

Len nodded, kissing Rin on the cheek before stopping in front of Neru, taking in her stormy expression. She looked angry, clearly from the events that had taken place between her and Mikuo just a few moments prior, but there was also some kind of underlying worry in it.

"Right, well, while you do that, do you want me to go check on him for you?" Len asked, staring at the golden haired prosecutor in worry.

Neru's eyes brightened just a tad, but other than that, none of the sour expression faded. "Yes, please, if you could. Having him cool off is great but I don't want him to be angry at me when he comes back up here later." Neru sighed at the end of her statement, twirling a piece of hair around her fingers - something she hadn't done since she had been in college. Surprised, she put her hair down and gave Len an expectant look.

Len smiled at her before giving Rin another peck on the cheek and walking down the hallway to find the no doubt sulking Mikuo.

"Neru, are you okay?" Rin asked, taking her sister's hand.

Neru gave a squeeze, "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just... get this done, okay?"

* * *

_State Courthouse - Courtroom #7_

* * *

The conversation between Neru and Mikuo when he returned from getting coffee with Len was unpleasant. That was the nicest way to phrase it, anyway. Only after hissing some harsh words did they basically stop talking to each other, only conversing to finalize their case and get information from Rin.

The trial's proceedings began the same - prosecution ready, defense ready, Master making his opening statement and presenting the evidence that Kaito had already showed them the other day. Neru was feeling pretty good.

...Until Master started making some remarks about his next witness. Despite what Ms. Yuzuki had said, it appeared she was not the witness appearing in court today.

"My next witness is rather nervous and delicate. If it wouldn't be so much trouble, your honor, I would prefer it if she was handled more gently."

With a nod, the judge slammed his gavel down. And then, as Master had said, a rather nervous looking teal haired woman made her way up to the stand. She was wringing her hands in her white, ruffled skirt, a clear tell that she was trying to do anything to keep herself from withering like a leaf.

"State your name and profession to the court, please," Master said, in the gentlest voice Neru had ever heard him use. It seemed... kind of gross actually. Neru didn't really like it, as it didn't suit him. It was creepy.

Beside her, Mikuo had went rigid. He had basically stopped breathing altogether, his hands nervously clamping onto the edge of the wooden desk. His anger seemed to be entirely forgotten as his widened eyes locked on to the witness like a sniper would lock onto a target.

Neru was confused - she also didn't really like the way Mikuo was studying the witness. But when the witness next opened her mouth to speak her full name and profession, something clicked in her mind. And she think she got what had made Mikuo so panicked.

"I'm a college student, majoring in music," she started, her eyes flitting to Master nervously, who seemed to be encouraging her, "And... my name is Miku Hatsune."


End file.
